Down two games to Sacred Heart Prep in the Central Coast Section Division IV championship match and trailing 8-1 in the possible title-clinching Game 3, the situation Saturday night was about as bleak as it could get for the Pirates. On the court, the Gators seemed to already be relishing the taste of victory. In the stands, all but the most blindly devoted of the hundreds of fans who filled the Independence High gym had written off the Pirates as goners.

Technically, they were right. Though Harbor clawed back to win Game 3 and nearly forced a fifth game, it lost to SHP 25-17, 25-23, 21-25, 25-23.

So, the Pirates don't have a 2012 CCS title, but they do have heart. And, when it comes to a NorCal title — the next prize in their postseason push — they have hope.

“To come back and battle like we did in the third game felt like we were finally accomplishing what we came to do,” said senior defensive specialist Breeanna Calhoun.

Calhoun said she and the seven other seniors on the Harbor squad had been trying for four years to reach the CCS final and, by doing so, earn an automatic berth into the NorCal playoffs. Sure, they hoped to win the title Saturday, she said, but their season isn't over, and now they have bigger dreams to pursue.

“We would be more disappointed if it was the end of the season,” agreed senior Addison Fonseca. “It's kind of time to move on, and we'll see them in the NorCal final.”

The Pirates (30-6) will have to put in some miles before then. As the losing squad, they will likely have to travel to all of their NorCal playoff matches, which are scheduled for Tuesday, Saturday and Nov. 27. They will learn their first-round opponent and site Sunday.

Lose any of the matches, and the prep careers of the seniors will be over. Win, and they could become the first Santa Cruz County squad to reach the state championships since Mount Madonna won the D-V title in 2007. They would also become the first Harbor team in the state final since the Pirates won the D-II title in 1992.

“It'll be good bonding before Thanksgiving,” Harbor coach Matt Schutz said of the team's upcoming road trip.

A lack of connection got the Pirates off to a rough start in the program's first CCS final since Karissa Cook, now the starting setter for NCAA No. 1-ranked Stanford, led them there in 2008. With Cook looking on from the stands, the Pirates did one match better than her squad did against Menlo.

Against SHP (30-5), Harbor's passers, setter and hitters couldn't get on the same page, and the ensuing missed hits and errors led to early deficits in each of the first two sets. The team rallied in both — especially in the drawn out and contentious Game 2 in which SHP coach Damien Hardy received a yellow card — but couldn't break away.

Frustrated after the second loss, the Pirates entered Game 3 with a sense of desperation. It quickly proved counterproductive, as they sunk into a seemingly insurmountable 8-1 hole.

But then setter Grace Thompson got a rare kill from the right side. And then Molly Tobin slammed down a hit. And then Kelsey Shaver got into the act, putting one down from the back row. And then Carly Craig, who usually plays right side, stepped up on a broken play and put up a beautiful set for Tobin to devour.

And just like that, Harbor's heart was beating again.

“That third set, we had them,” Hardy said. “Give credit to them, they kept fighting and slugging away.”

Indeed, they chipped away at SHP until they pulled into a tie at 20-20. Calhoun stepped up to serve and, with nerves of titanium, took them to 24-20 when a deep serve just barely floated out. No matter. The Pirates took the Gators' next serve and handed it to Tobin, converted the game-stealing kill.

The Pirates tried to follow the same script in Game 4, falling behind 7-1 early and rallying back to tie it at 17-17. This time, though, the plan backfired as the Gators snapped the match shut with a late streak in which they outscored the Pirates 5-1.